Lisbon High School is presenting “Mean Girls: The Musical” this weekend. Show times are Friday, April 17 at 7 p.m., Saturday, April 18, at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. and Sunday, April 19 at 2 p.m., with tickets $10 each.
Director Grant Freeman is excited to be featuring a larger cast of actors, pulling on seventh and eighth graders as well as high schoolers for this show.
“We’ve really fully become a junior high and high school theater with this production,” Freeman said. “I love seeing all the new students growing from their first practice to the show.”
This musical was also the first time that Freeman said they’ve worked with a full choreographer for the show.
“This is a musical that incorporates full dancing and full singing,” Freeman said. “They’ve all learned so much.”
Kaitlyn Silver plays lead plastic Regina George in the production.
“It’s fun to be playing a character like Regina, where I get to have a bit more attitude,” Silver said.
For Silver, the biggest challenge, though, has to be striking that balance between being mean enough for the role, as it’s not something she’s used to.
“That, and finding the right costumes for the character,” Silver said.
Joey Watson plays Cady Heron, the other lead in the show.
“This character has a pretty dynamic storyline, where she plays so many different roles in the whole show,” Watson said.
Watson said the role is definitely building up her stamina, as Heron is on the show for almost the entire runtime and there’s a lot of movement for the character.
“I’ve learned so much about how to connect more with the character I’m portraying,” Watson said.
Talia Hartelt is one of the seventh grade members who is a part of the chorus for this production.
“I’ve loved working on the choreography and the dance numbers,” Hartelt said.
And while there is a lot to memorize, Hartelt said working as a team helps remind you of the steps if you forget them.
“It’s just a fun, frivolous and silly show and it has a good message behind it,” Freeman said. “We live in such stressful times both nationally and locally, and this is nice to be able to have a good time with a show like this, and you won’t find tickets much cheaper for theater in the area.”
“It’s got a lot of choreography and dancing we’ve not had in our other shows,” Silver said. “It’s a really fun show.”
“We’ve put in a lot of work into the show,” Watson said. “It’s incredible to see what we’ve been able to build together.”
